Joao Mario is already being lined up for an exit by his club Inter Milan this summer but it's not for a return to West Ham once his six-month loan spell has finished.

Acording to reports in Gazetta Dello Sport in Italy (via Sport Witness), they believe the Portugue's loan won't be exptedned to a permanent move at the end of the current campaign and he will return to the San Siro.

From there, Mario is reportedly going to be used as a makeweight for Inter to sign Kevin Strootman from Roma, with Mario heading the other way as part payment.

Mario joined the Hammers in January on loan for the remainder of the season but there was no permanent clause put into his contract giving West Ham first refusal or an obligation to buy him after it ended.

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That has looked like a shrewd move on the part of David Moyes so far as Mario hasn't quite lived up to billing in east London. He's not looked out of his depth by any stretch but he simply hasn't had the desired impact in an attacking midfield role, bagging an assist for Javier Hernandez.s goal at Brighton but yet to hit the net himself in claret and blue.

Joao Mario is on-loan at West Ham until the end of the season (Image: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

That could all change of course if Mario tears up the Premier League and helps fire the Hammers to safety this season in the remaining nine games of the campaign. Rumours in Italy claim it could cost the Hammers between 35m and 40m euros if they did want to sign him permanently - a fee they wouldn't pay for William Carvalho last summer.